Footwear refers to garments worn on the feet, primarily for protection against the environment and for fashion. Many different styles and mindsets regarding footwear have existed over many centuries and across many cultures. Some ancient cultures such as the Egyptians, Hindu and Greeks did not regard footwear as an essential garment and often went barefoot, though the Egyptians and Hindus were known to occasionally don ornamental footwear, such as a sole-less sandal known as a “Cleopatra.” Other cultures, such as the Romans, considered footwear as visual signs of social and economic status and power, while going about barefoot was an indicator of poverty on the level of slaves and peasants.
Sandals are an open type of outdoor footwear, consisting of a sole held to the wearer's foot by straps passing over the instep and occasionally over the ankle. Sandals may take many different forms but the common understanding is that a sandal leaves a large portion of the upper foot exposed, particularly the toes. Conventional foot sandals ordinarily include a platform with straps extending across the platform and permanently secured within the platform structure. The foot is then slipped into the strap so as to provide a means of holding the foot to the platform. Sandals have been very popular for many years, and are widely used indoors and outdoors, usually in warmer weather and climates. During the past decades, sandals have been increasingly considered a popular design accessory, so that a pair of sandals is selected by the user to blend well aesthetically with other clothing to be worn by the user, coordinating the “look” of the sandals with those clothes. Sandals may, however, be expensive, and when styles change, previously purchased sandals become obsolete, and the user may feel the need to purchase a new pair to keep up with the latest style trend.
Many different types of sandals exist, including clogs, fisherman sandals, geta, Grecian sandals, and thong sandals or “flip-flops.” Flip flops are one of the most common types of sandals, where two ends of a Y-shaped strap are attached to the sole of the sandal on the opposite sides of the sole where a wearer's foot would rest, with the two ends intersecting at a thong or toe piece extending from the sole for placement between the big or first toe and the second toe of the wearer's feet. This configuration of sandal straps contributes to the common name of “flip-flops” due to the slapping of the sole against the heel that occurs while walking.
It has been proposed in the past to manufacture sandals and shoes with interchangeable and removable elements, but these prior art devices are normally quite complicated and difficult to provide for the interlocking of the elements. The present invention provides for a method to customize thong sandals which is very simple and provides for a method to quickly and easily replace the original straps with any configuration of straps, laces, embellishments, or charms the user may desire.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus which allows the user to replace the Y-shaped strap of a typical pair of thong or flip-flop sandals with custom straps laces, embellishments, charms or other accessories.